Academics banned from earning income via social media
With a new decision, public personnel and academics are now prohibited from earning income from YouTube and similar digital platforms.
According to an official letter sent by the Presidency General Secretariat to the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), academics and civil servants in the public sector are banned from producing content and earning income from digital platforms.
Official Justification for the Ban
The letter prepared by the General Directorate of Personnel and Principles of the Presidency General Secretariat and communicated to YÖK establishes a legal framework regarding the revenues of public officials on digital platforms. Accordingly, the income generated from these sources is evaluated within the scope of the prohibitions on commercial and profit-yielding activities set forth in Article 28 of the Civil Servants Law No. 657.
How the Process Began
The background of the decision lies in the legal application made by the Council of Higher Education to the Presidency on June 17, 2026. Following this application, an evaluation report was prepared by the Revenue Administration of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance on August 20, 2026, and the final letter reached YÖK on September 2, 2026.
Reactions from Academics and Channel Closures
Wanting to avoid disciplinary investigations and potential administrative sanctions, many academics have started closing their channels on YouTube and removing lecture videos and analysis content from publication. The decision has sparked widespread repercussions in the academic world.
Debates on the Impact on Science Communication
Following the decision, academics and civil society representatives opened the potential consequences of the ban up for discussion. Some experts and scientists argued that the ban will negatively affect the dissemination of accurate information to broad audiences and science communication.